MrBeast’s infamous game show is a grim dystopian vision, tailor-made for America in 2025

YouTube sensation Jimmy, also known as “Mr. Biggest reality contest show ever created.” And by most accounts, he achieved his goal.

Beast Games, halfway through production, has dominated Amazon’s charts in over 80 countries, now holding the top spot among streaming platforms. The show, hailed as the number one unscripted program in history, attracted over 50 million viewers in just 25 days.

Inspired by Netflix’s K-drama “The Squid Game,” Beast Games mirrors the show’s premise, color scheme, sweatsuits, and cash motivation but with a louder, more American take.

With a budget exceeding $100 million, Beast Games stands as the most expensive competitive show to date. Funding mostly came from Donaldson’s own pocket to cover prizes, accommodation, staff, and elaborate filming locations.

The result is a spectacle, but not the inspiring one MrBeast envisioned. It reflects America’s current state, akin to a slow-motion luxury liner disaster sinking under the waves. A grim reminder for future generations of the greed and self-destruction in society.

Part of Beast Games’ allure is its unscripted format, offering a raw portrayal of real contestants vying for a chance at generational wealth. However, the show’s depiction of capitalism and exploitation raises concerns.

Beast Games takes cues from the Netflix hit Squid Game. Photo: No Joo-han/Netflix

Beast Games blurs the line between entertainment and exploitation, with contestants subjected to degrading challenges for a shot at wealth. MrBeast’s role in the show’s narrative raises questions about ethics and responsibility.

Beast Games embodies the dark side of American society, offering a stark commentary on wealth, influence, and morality. The show’s portrayal of competition and exploitation highlights deeper societal issues and challenges.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The beta version of MrBeast’s analytics platform ViewStats has launched.

Top US YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) co-founds new analytics platform Viewing statistics, currently available in beta. similar to tools like social blade ViewStats uses the YouTube API to expose detailed statistics about your channel that can be viewed by both creators and fans.

It’s no coincidence that MrBeast has become one of the highest-paid creators of all time. He pays close attention to every detail of his videos. He recently did an A/B test to see whether a video performs better with thumbnails with open mouths or thumbnails with mouths not open (apparently, thumbnail with closed mouth win). So if he thinks certain metrics are essential to an analytics platform, they’re probably important.

Founded with creator Chucky Appleby, who works with MrBeast, ViewStats differentiates itself with this star power. Celebrity-backed startups aren’t as big as they seem, but star power in this case shouldn’t be underestimated. I myself witnessed this phenomenon when I attended a panel discussion hosted by MrBeast about understanding the YouTube algorithm. Seats filled up quickly and so many people turned away at the gate that VidCon probably could have given him a room twice his size and still get an overflow line. We wanted to hear the opinions of all creators, regardless of genre. This is what the algorithm king had to say.

Similar to Socialblade, ViewStats displays basic information such as number of subscribers, estimated monthly ad revenue, number of video views, and how those numbers fluctuate over a period of time. ViewStats is also available as a Chrome extension. applebee said More tools will be added to the platform in the future, including a thumbnail analysis tool. It’s not clear at this point how the platform plans to monetize, but Socialblade is monetizing certain more advanced analytics by putting them behind a paywall.

according to tube filter, ViewStats is a separate company from MrBeast, LLC. Both MrBeast and CEO Appleby funded this effort with their own money.

Source: techcrunch.com